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After 12 years of planning, construction and red tape, the town of Fries, Virginia, has a new open-air market structure downtown. The market operates Saturdays through October, with a chili cookoff October 22.
Called Fries Common Market @ The Depot, the 2,700-square-foot roofed facility goes beyond farm produce to offer handicrafts, landscape plants and whatever else local folks bring in. A small stage allows old-time musicians to jam in comfort.
The new market sits where the defunct Norfolk & Western Railway passenger depot once stood, echoing the size and style of the original. That line serviced the Washington Mills textile plant, hauling raw cotton in and finished products out. Passenger service to Fries ended in 1951 and freight haulage stopped in 1985.
Afterwards the rails were torn up to create the New River Trail State Park. Look for the stone marker carved with “P 45,” meaning 45 miles to Pulaski.
The story above first appeared in our September / October 2022 issue.
